Broadway History

History of the Theater District

These images document the evolution of New York City’s Theater District from the early 1900s to the present day. Throughout its history, the district has both reflected and helped shape the essential character of New York.

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Urban Development

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the area that now comprises the Theater District was owned by a handful of families and contained little more than a few farms. In 1836 Mayor Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence opened 42nd Street and invited Manhattanites to “move up town and enjoy the pure, clean air.” More than sixty years later, the theatrical entrepreneur Oscar Hammerstein built his Victoria Theater on West 42nd Street.

1868 Hopper family farm, Broadway & 50th Street

So central is the Theater District to New York’s cultural landscape that it is easy to forget that the area was undeveloped countryside until relatively recently. At the time this image was created, six horse-car lines connected the area to the heart of the city to the south. The area that would become the Theater District could also be reached by the Weehawken Ferry, which docked in the Hudson River at 42nd Street. The Winter Garden Theater now occupies the site of the Hopper family farm.

Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

So central is the Theater District to New York’s cultural landscape that it is easy to forget that the area was undeveloped countryside until relatively recently. At the time this image was created, six horse-car lines connected the area to the heart of the city to the south. The area that would become the Theater District could also be reached by the Weehawken Ferry, which docked in the Hudson River at 42nd Street. The Winter Garden Theater now occupies the site of the Hopper family farm.

Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

1899 Victoria Theater, 42nd Street & Seventh Avenue

Electrified trolleys made it easy to get to Oscar Hammerstein’s 1,000-seat Victoria Theater. The facility was built for legitimate theater but soon became a venue for vaudeville shows. The glamorous Paradise Roof Garden on top of the theater was another big draw. At the time of the theater’s opening, a reporter for the New York American wrote: "The Victoria, at a bird’s eye view, looks like a big twinkling pearl, all white and gold with the opals of electricity studding it in profusion . . . Gorgeous carpets, splendid lounges and all the ultra-elegance the metropolis loves were to be seen everywhere."

The Museum of The City of New York

Electrified trolleys made it easy to get to Oscar Hammerstein’s 1,000-seat Victoria Theater. The facility was built for legitimate theater but soon became a venue for vaudeville shows. The glamorous Paradise Roof Garden on top of the theater was another big draw. At the time of the theater’s opening, a reporter for the New York American wrote: "The Victoria, at a bird’s eye view, looks like a big twinkling pearl, all white and gold with the opals of electricity studding it in profusion . . . Gorgeous carpets, splendid lounges and all the ultra-elegance the metropolis loves were to be seen everywhere."

The Museum of The City of New York

1900 Longacre Square

Unlike many of the capital cities of Europe, New York is not defined by great public squares. But Longacre Square, really just the intersection of two busy avenues, was an exception. The area was used—and celebrated—as “the crossroads of the world.” Reflecting the location’s earthy dimension, the New York Burlesque Ballet and the Varieties Theater can be seen on the left. The Hotel Cadillac and the Pabst Hotel, owned by the Milwaukee-based brewery, can be seen in the distance.

The Museum of The City of New York

Unlike many of the capital cities of Europe, New York is not defined by great public squares. But Longacre Square, really just the intersection of two busy avenues, was an exception. The area was used—and celebrated—as “the crossroads of the world.” Reflecting the location’s earthy dimension, the New York Burlesque Ballet and the Varieties Theater can be seen on the left. The Hotel Cadillac and the Pabst Hotel, owned by the Milwaukee-based brewery, can be seen in the distance.

The Museum of The City of New York

1910 Subway construction

The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company was a private business responsible for building and operating New York’s first subway line. Opened in 1904, the IRT serviced the emerging Theater District and was pivotal to the area’s growth and success.

The Shubert Archive

The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company was a private business responsible for building and operating New York’s first subway line. Opened in 1904, the IRT serviced the emerging Theater District and was pivotal to the area’s growth and success.

The Shubert Archive

Ca. 1904 Times Square

Aerial view of Times Square, looking north, showing the Astor Hotel and its popular rooftop garden, at left.

The Museum of The City of New York

Aerial view of Times Square, looking north, showing the Astor Hotel and its popular rooftop garden, at left.

The Museum of The City of New York

ca. 1903 The Times Tower under construction

In 1904, with the completion of Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz’s Italian Renaissance–inspired tower for the New York Times, which had moved north from its previous headquarters opposite City Hall, Longacre Square received an immediately identifiable architectural landmark, and a new name: Times Square.

The Museum of The City of New York

In 1904, with the completion of Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz’s Italian Renaissance–inspired tower for the New York Times, which had moved north from its previous headquarters opposite City Hall, Longacre Square received an immediately identifiable architectural landmark, and a new name: Times Square.

The Museum of The City of New York

1905 Postcard of Times Square

Given its unique location, the New York Times’s trapezoidal building would be forever surrounded by light and air, despite the construction of many tall buildings nearby. At the time of the twenty-four-story building’s completion, observers noted that it “scraped higher clouds” than other tall New York City buildings because it occupied higher ground. The imposing Astor Hotel (Clinton & Russell, 1904) can be seen on the right.

Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox & Tilden Foundations

Given its unique location, the New York Times’s trapezoidal building would be forever surrounded by light and air, despite the construction of many tall buildings nearby. At the time of the twenty-four-story building’s completion, observers noted that it “scraped higher clouds” than other tall New York City buildings because it occupied higher ground. The imposing Astor Hotel (Clinton & Russell, 1904) can be seen on the right.

Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox & Tilden Foundations

1913 Palace Theater, Broadway at 47th Street

Some theater historians have suggested that the word “vaudeville” comes from the French voix de ville or “voice of the city.” In any case, the Palace Theater became the undisputed center of this popular form of variety show. As the entertainer Jack Haley recalled, “A feeling of ecstasy came with the knowledge that this was the Palace, the epitome of the more than 15,000 vaudeville theaters in America, and the realization that you have been selected to play it. Of all the thousands upon thousands of vaudeville performers in the business, you are there. This was a dream fulfilled; this was the pinnacle of Variety success.” Haley would go on to fame as the Tin Man in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, but ironically, it was the Palace Theater’s transformation into a movie palace several years earlier that seemed to mark the beginning of the end of vaudeville nationwide.

Museum of The City of New York

Some theater historians have suggested that the word “vaudeville” comes from the French voix de ville or “voice of the city.” In any case, the Palace Theater became the undisputed center of this popular form of variety show. As the entertainer Jack Haley recalled, “A feeling of ecstasy came with the knowledge that this was the Palace, the epitome of the more than 15,000 vaudeville theaters in America, and the realization that you have been selected to play it. Of all the thousands upon thousands of vaudeville performers in the business, you are there. This was a dream fulfilled; this was the pinnacle of Variety success.” Haley would go on to fame as the Tin Man in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, but ironically, it was the Palace Theater’s transformation into a movie palace several years earlier that seemed to mark the beginning of the end of vaudeville nationwide.

Museum of The City of New York

1947 Duffy Square, monument to Father Duffy

With monument to Father Duffy. In 1937, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia renamed a portion of Times Square—from West 45th to West 47th Street—Duffy Square in honor of Father Francis Patrick Duffy, a chaplain in a New York infantry regiment known as the Fighting 69th. Georg John Lober sculpted the likeness of Duffy seen here; Lober also created the sculpture of composer, actor, playwright, and producer George M. Cohan located two blocks to the south.

Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

With monument to Father Duffy. In 1937, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia renamed a portion of Times Square—from West 45th to West 47th Street—Duffy Square in honor of Father Francis Patrick Duffy, a chaplain in a New York infantry regiment known as the Fighting 69th. Georg John Lober sculpted the likeness of Duffy seen here; Lober also created the sculpture of composer, actor, playwright, and producer George M. Cohan located two blocks to the south.

Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

2009 George M. Cohan Memorial

The memorial in Duffy Square at night.

Amanda Hall

The memorial in Duffy Square at night.

Amanda Hall

Crowds

The Theater District’s unique identity has long been based on the interaction of the inherently theatrical hustle and bustle that defines New York’s streets and the organized entertainments offered within theaters of all kinds. Like many aspects of life in New York, freedom is dependent on regulation. The flow of traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, including the now absent streetcar that once traversed 42nd Street, was critical to the area. Traffic has been managed to allow for the convenient access New Yorkers demand while remaining sufficiently dense to be exciting and give rise to the chance encounter.

ca. 1905 Postcard of Broadway

Whether drawn by the area’s theaters, restaurants, hotels, or merely by a sense of excitement, the Theater District’s crowds have always been a part of the show, and constitute a feature that distinguishes the New York theater-going experience from that of other cities.

Museum of The City of New York

Whether drawn by the area’s theaters, restaurants, hotels, or merely by a sense of excitement, the Theater District’s crowds have always been a part of the show, and constitute a feature that distinguishes the New York theater-going experience from that of other cities.

Museum of The City of New York

ca. 1905 Theatergoers along 42nd Street

Painting by Bert Levy of theatergoers along 42nd Street, ca. 1905

Museum of The City of New York

Painting by Bert Levy of theatergoers along 42nd Street, ca. 1905

Museum of The City of New York

ca. 1910 Early automobile traffic along Broadway

Easy access to the Theater District was a critical component of creating a thriving business environment. With the growing popularity of cars in the early years of the twentieth century, the rules of the road took some time to establish, as can be seen in this photograph.

Museum of The City of New York

Easy access to the Theater District was a critical component of creating a thriving business environment. With the growing popularity of cars in the early years of the twentieth century, the rules of the road took some time to establish, as can be seen in this photograph.

Museum of The City of New York

ca. 1910 Oscar Hammerstein’s Victoria Theater

Cars parked in front of Oscar Hammerstein’s Victoria Theater.

Museum of The City of New York

Cars parked in front of Oscar Hammerstein’s Victoria Theater.

Museum of The City of New York

Oct 1, 1928 Mae West’s The Pleasure Man at the Biltmore Theater

Managing the scene—whether the audience or the performers—has always been part of the act in the Theater District. On opening night, between the second and third acts of The Pleasure Man, one of three plays written by and starring sex symbol Mae West, policemen from the precinct located around the corner from the Biltmore on 47th Street entered the theater. All fifty-seven members of the cast, including West, were arrested on charges of indecency. The theater critic for the New York Daily News reported, “The police raid was even more sensational than the last act.” The play ran for a total of one-and-a-half performances.

NY Daily News via Getty Images

Managing the scene—whether the audience or the performers—has always been part of the act in the Theater District. On opening night, between the second and third acts of The Pleasure Man, one of three plays written by and starring sex symbol Mae West, policemen from the precinct located around the corner from the Biltmore on 47th Street entered the theater. All fifty-seven members of the cast, including West, were arrested on charges of indecency. The theater critic for the New York Daily News reported, “The police raid was even more sensational than the last act.” The play ran for a total of one-and-a-half performances.

NY Daily News via Getty Images

ca. 1928 Loew’s State Theater at Broadway & 45th Street

Loew’s State Theater, designed by Thomas Lamb and completed in 1920, was one of many theaters in the area built to show silent movies.

1934 Palace Theater

The Great White Way

Lit by gas and poorly ventilated, theaters in nineteenth-century New York were vexed by fire. At the beginning of the twentieth century, architects realized that the safer electric light bulb had enormous advertising potential. As early as 1910, Broadway signage dazzled visitors and the street soon became known throughout the world as the Great White Way. In 1927, the journalist Will Irwin vividly captured the district’s look and energy: “Mildly insane by day, the square goes divinely mad by night. For then on every wall, above every cornice, in every nook and cranny, blossom and dance the electric advertising signs . . . . All other American cities imitate them, but none gets this massed effect of tremendous jazz interpreted in light.”

1895 Olympia Theater, Broadway between 44th & 45th Streets

In 1895, when Oscar B. Hammerstein’s Olympia became the first theater to move to what was then known as Longacre Square and widely referred to as Thieves’ Lair, the city had yet to install electric street lamps in the area. Hammerstein bathed his theater in electric light, initiating a trend that would transform the emerging Theater District into the Great White Way. Interestingly the illuminated marquee emphasized Hammerstein’s name more than the name of the theater itself, suggesting the important role that the theatrical entrepreneur played on Broadway.

Museum of The City of New York

In 1895, when Oscar B. Hammerstein’s Olympia became the first theater to move to what was then known as Longacre Square and widely referred to as Thieves’ Lair, the city had yet to install electric street lamps in the area. Hammerstein bathed his theater in electric light, initiating a trend that would transform the emerging Theater District into the Great White Way. Interestingly the illuminated marquee emphasized Hammerstein’s name more than the name of the theater itself, suggesting the important role that the theatrical entrepreneur played on Broadway.

Museum of The City of New York

ca. 1904 Times Square at Night

The Times Tower, completed in 1904, provided a beacon for the area but it was not until several years later that the Theater District began to fully realize the potential of nighttime illumination.

Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

The Times Tower, completed in 1904, provided a beacon for the area but it was not until several years later that the Theater District began to fully realize the potential of nighttime illumination.

Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

1919 Broadway at night, looking north

So iconic did the lights of Broadway become that when they were dimmed during World War I, public demand forced the federal government to increase the city’s coal ration so that the lights could be restored.

Museum of The City of New York

So iconic did the lights of Broadway become that when they were dimmed during World War I, public demand forced the federal government to increase the city’s coal ration so that the lights could be restored.

Museum of The City of New York

1920 Postcard of Times Square

By the 1920s, Times Square had become one of the world’s most widely recognized locales and tourists were eager to send word of their adventures back to the folks at home.

Museum of The City of New York

By the 1920s, Times Square had become one of the world’s most widely recognized locales and tourists were eager to send word of their adventures back to the folks at home.

Museum of The City of New York

1920 Times Square at Night

This dramatic night view, looking north from Times Square, shows the collective impact of the theaters’ illuminated marquees. Though each sign was intended to sell its theater’s offerings, as a group there was no greater advertisement for the city.

Getty Images

This dramatic night view, looking north from Times Square, shows the collective impact of the theaters’ illuminated marquees. Though each sign was intended to sell its theater’s offerings, as a group there was no greater advertisement for the city.

Getty Images

ca. 1920 Broadway looking north

Whether any given show was a hit or a flop, the Theater District’s car-choked streets and pedestrian-packed sidewalks were sure to provide a real-life spectacle like no other. From the beginning, developers and theater owners recognized that part of the area’s appeal was the vibrancy of its street life.

Popperfoto/Getty Images

Whether any given show was a hit or a flop, the Theater District’s car-choked streets and pedestrian-packed sidewalks were sure to provide a real-life spectacle like no other. From the beginning, developers and theater owners recognized that part of the area’s appeal was the vibrancy of its street life.

Popperfoto/Getty Images

1932 Times Square

This nocturnal view shows Broadway, including the twenty-three-story Times Tower at lower left, from near the top of the forty-one-story Continental Building (Ely Jacques Kahn, 1931), a massive loft building in the adjacent Garment District.

Museum of The City of New York

This nocturnal view shows Broadway, including the twenty-three-story Times Tower at lower left, from near the top of the forty-one-story Continental Building (Ely Jacques Kahn, 1931), a massive loft building in the adjacent Garment District.

1969 42nd Street, looking west toward Times Square

Getty Images

Getty Images

Broadway Stars

For more than a century, Broadway productions have not only made young, unknown actors household names but also produced stars associated with performances, songs, and dances that have entered mainstream American culture. These individuals, and the costumes and make-up schemes that have enhanced their work, are the source of endless fascination to adoring fans. Beneath the surface of these star turns, however, lie more gritty stories of passion and dedication. Broadway ambition was immortalized by the composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim in the song “Broadway Baby” from the elegiac musical Follies, which chronicles the New York theater world’s legendary past: ”I’m just a Broadway Baby / Walking off my tired feet / Pounding 42nd Street / To be in a show.”

Eddie Cantor

Eddie Cantor (1892–1964) made his Broadway debut in 1917, appearing in producer Flo Ziegfeld’s Follies at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Cantor went on to star on Broadway, as well as in film, radio, and television. This sheet music is for a song Cantor sang in the 1917 revue.

Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

Eddie Cantor (1892–1964) made his Broadway debut in 1917, appearing in producer Flo Ziegfeld’s Follies at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Cantor went on to star on Broadway, as well as in film, radio, and television. This sheet music is for a song Cantor sang in the 1917 revue.

Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

Marilyn Miller

The great Broadway impresario Flo Ziegfeld made Marilyn Miller (1898–1936) a star, featuring her in his Follies of 1918. Appearing with Eddie Cantor, W. C. Fields, and Will Rogers, Miller went on to become one of the biggest Broadway stars of the 1920s and 30s. This is the sheet music for one of her most popular numbers: Jerome Kern’s “Look for the Silver Lining” from the musical Sally of 1920.

Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

The great Broadway impresario Flo Ziegfeld made Marilyn Miller (1898–1936) a star, featuring her in his Follies of 1918. Appearing with Eddie Cantor, W. C. Fields, and Will Rogers, Miller went on to become one of the biggest Broadway stars of the 1920s and 30s. This is the sheet music for one of her most popular numbers: Jerome Kern’s “Look for the Silver Lining” from the musical Sally of 1920.

Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

George M. Cohan

Though George M. Cohan (1878–1942) self-deprecatingly dismissed himself as “just a song and dance man,” he was Broadway’s first superstar and arguably the greatest song and dance man in American history. He appeared in more than thirty Broadway musicals. As an actor, playwright, composer, and producer—widely known as “the man who owned Broadway”—he helped shape the nature and style of Broadway fare. In 1904, Cohan co-starred with his wife Ethel Levey in Little Johnny Jones, which featured two of Cohan’s most memorable songs, “Yankee Doodle Boy” and “Give My Regards to Broadway.” Cohan’s composition “Over There” captured the nation’s feelings during World War I. Cohan is seen here in The Merry Malones of 1927.

Museum of The City of New York

Though George M. Cohan (1878–1942) self-deprecatingly dismissed himself as “just a song and dance man,” he was Broadway’s first superstar and arguably the greatest song and dance man in American history. He appeared in more than thirty Broadway musicals. As an actor, playwright, composer, and producer—widely known as “the man who owned Broadway”—he helped shape the nature and style of Broadway fare. In 1904, Cohan co-starred with his wife Ethel Levey in Little Johnny Jones, which featured two of Cohan’s most memorable songs, “Yankee Doodle Boy” and “Give My Regards to Broadway.” Cohan’s composition “Over There” captured the nation’s feelings during World War I. Cohan is seen here in The Merry Malones of 1927.

Museum of The City of New York

Helen Hayes

Helen Hayes (1900–1993), often referred to as “the First Lady of American Theater,” starred in the title role of Laurence Housman’s Victoria Regina at the Broadhurst Theater in 1936. The play required Hayes to portray the queen over the course of her sixty-four-year-long reign. Hayes is seen here with Vincent Price in the role of Prince Albert. In 1988 President Ronald Reagan presented Hayes with the National Medal of Arts.

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Helen Hayes (1900–1993), often referred to as “the First Lady of American Theater,” starred in the title role of Laurence Housman’s Victoria Regina at the Broadhurst Theater in 1936. The play required Hayes to portray the queen over the course of her sixty-four-year-long reign. Hayes is seen here with Vincent Price in the role of Prince Albert. In 1988 President Ronald Reagan presented Hayes with the National Medal of Arts.

Photofest

Ethel Merman

The staggering list of Broadway standards introduced by Ethel Merman (1908–1984) includes “I Got Rhythm,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “You’re the Top,” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” In 1946, Merman starred as the sharpshooter Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, seen here, and sang the song that would become her musical signature, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

The staggering list of Broadway standards introduced by Ethel Merman (1908–1984) includes “I Got Rhythm,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “You’re the Top,” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” In 1946, Merman starred as the sharpshooter Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, seen here, and sang the song that would become her musical signature, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

Julie Andrews

In 1960, just four years after starring in Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Broadway hit My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews (b. 1935) returned in the musical duo’s Camelot at the Majestic Theatre. The show’s stellar cast included Richard Burton, Roddy McDowall, Robert Goulet, and John Cullum. President John F. Kennedy and the First Lady had often listened to a recording of the show’s music; Kennedy’s favorite lyrics were reputed to be: ”Don't let it be forgot / That once there was a spot / For one brief, shining moment / That was known as Camelot.”

In 1960, just four years after starring in Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Broadway hit My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews (b. 1935) returned in the musical duo’s Camelot at the Majestic Theatre. The show’s stellar cast included Richard Burton, Roddy McDowall, Robert Goulet, and John Cullum. President John F. Kennedy and the First Lady had often listened to a recording of the show’s music; Kennedy’s favorite lyrics were reputed to be: ”Don't let it be forgot / That once there was a spot / For one brief, shining moment / That was known as Camelot.”

Mary Martin

Portraying Peter Pan, a boy with magical powers, including the ability to take flight, Mary Martin (1913–1990) set new standards of theatrical stagecraft in the eponymous musical that opened in the Winter Garden Theater in 1954.

Photofest

Portraying Peter Pan, a boy with magical powers, including the ability to take flight, Mary Martin (1913–1990) set new standards of theatrical stagecraft in the eponymous musical that opened in the Winter Garden Theater in 1954.

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Chita Rivera, Larry Kert, and Carol Lawrence

In 1949 Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, and Leonard Bernstein began collaborating on a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>. The musical tale, set on the Lower East Side’s Delancey Street, focused on an Italian boy and a Jewish girl, and was to be called East Side Story. As the project moved forward, it was recast as the tale of a Polish-American boy and a Puerto Rican girl in the West 50s and 60s and re-titled <em>West Side Story</em>. The original production, which was immediately praised as an American classic upon its Broadway opening at the Winter Garden Theater in 1957, starred Chita, Rivera (b. 1933), Larry Kert (1930–1991), and Carol Lawrence (b. 1932). This photograph, taken during a rehearsal, shows, left to right: Rivera, Robbins, Kert, and Lawrence.

In 1949 Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, and Leonard Bernstein began collaborating on a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>. The musical tale, set on the Lower East Side’s Delancey Street, focused on an Italian boy and a Jewish girl, and was to be called East Side Story. As the project moved forward, it was recast as the tale of a Polish-American boy and a Puerto Rican girl in the West 50s and 60s and re-titled <em>West Side Story</em>. The original production, which was immediately praised as an American classic upon its Broadway opening at the Winter Garden Theater in 1957, starred Chita, Rivera (b. 1933), Larry Kert (1930–1991), and Carol Lawrence (b. 1932). This photograph, taken during a rehearsal, shows, left to right: Rivera, Robbins, Kert, and Lawrence.

Robert Preston

Broadway musicals have entered mainstream American culture not only by way of popular songs and leading stars but also through Al Hirschfeld’s instantly recognizable caricatures, which ran in the Sunday New York Times for decades. Here, Hirschfeld portrayed Robert Preston (1918–1987) as Harold HIll in The Music Man. The show, which opened at the Majestic Theater in 1957, featured such songs as “Seventy-six Trombones” and “Till There Was You.”

Broadway musicals have entered mainstream American culture not only by way of popular songs and leading stars but also through Al Hirschfeld’s instantly recognizable caricatures, which ran in the Sunday New York Times for decades. Here, Hirschfeld portrayed Robert Preston (1918–1987) as Harold HIll in The Music Man. The show, which opened at the Majestic Theater in 1957, featured such songs as “Seventy-six Trombones” and “Till There Was You.”

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne

Certainly among the most acclaimed actors in the history of the American theater, Alfred Lunt (1892–1977) and Lynn Fontanne (1887–1983) starred together in dozens of Broadway productions. Noel Coward wrote Design for Living specifically for Lunt and Fontanne; they starred in the production at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1937. The husband and wife team were also featured in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Shubert Theatre the following year. The couple’s last Broadway appearance was in 1958 in Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit. Just prior to the production, the Globe Theater, where the play was staged, was renamed the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Certainly among the most acclaimed actors in the history of the American theater, Alfred Lunt (1892–1977) and Lynn Fontanne (1887–1983) starred together in dozens of Broadway productions. Noel Coward wrote Design for Living specifically for Lunt and Fontanne; they starred in the production at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1937. The husband and wife team were also featured in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Shubert Theatre the following year. The couple’s last Broadway appearance was in 1958 in Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit. Just prior to the production, the Globe Theater, where the play was staged, was renamed the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Zero Mostel

Zero Mostel (1915–1977) starred in the original American production of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist play Rhinoceros at the Longacre Theatre in 1961.

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Zero Mostel (1915–1977) starred in the original American production of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist play Rhinoceros at the Longacre Theatre in 1961.

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Hello, Dolly!

Based on Thornton Wilder’s 1955 farcical play The Matchmaker, the 1964 musical Hello, Dolly!, directed by Gower Champion, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, told the story of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi. Written for Ethel Merman, who turned down the lead, as did Mary Martin, Dolly became the signature role of Carol Channing (b. 1921). When the original production, presented at the St. James Theatre, closed after 2,844 performances, it was Broadway’s longest-running musical to date.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s 1955 farcical play The Matchmaker, the 1964 musical Hello, Dolly!, directed by Gower Champion, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, told the story of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi. Written for Ethel Merman, who turned down the lead, as did Mary Martin, Dolly became the signature role of Carol Channing (b. 1921). When the original production, presented at the St. James Theatre, closed after 2,844 performances, it was Broadway’s longest-running musical to date.

James Earl Jones & Jane Alexander

In 1968, James Earl Jones (b. 1931) and Jane Alexander (b. 1939) starred as husband and wife in Howard Sackler’s searing drama The Great White Hope, a fictionalized account of the life of boxing legend Jack Johnson that ran at the Alvin Theatre. Jones (seen at right) and Alexander were awarded Tony Awards for Best Actor and Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Friedman-Abeles/Photofest

In 1968, James Earl Jones (b. 1931) and Jane Alexander (b. 1939) starred as husband and wife in Howard Sackler’s searing drama The Great White Hope, a fictionalized account of the life of boxing legend Jack Johnson that ran at the Alvin Theatre. Jones (seen at right) and Alexander were awarded Tony Awards for Best Actor and Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Friedman-Abeles/Photofest

Jessica Tandy & Hume Cronyn

In 1977, Broadway veterans and real-life husband and wife Jessica Tandy (1909–1994) and Hume Cronyn (1911–2003) starred in D. L. Coburn’s play The Gin Game at the John Golden Theatre. Among the Broadway productions in which the couple appeared together between 1951 and 1986 were William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters.

Photofest

In 1977, Broadway veterans and real-life husband and wife Jessica Tandy (1909–1994) and Hume Cronyn (1911–2003) starred in D. L. Coburn’s play The Gin Game at the John Golden Theatre. Among the Broadway productions in which the couple appeared together between 1951 and 1986 were William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters.

Photofest

Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin

In 1979, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s musical Evita, based on the life of Eva Perón opened at the Broadway Theatre. Patti LuPone (b. 1949) played the title role and Mandy Patinkin (b. 1952) played the part of Ché Guevara. Thirty-two years later, in 2011, the two stars reunited for a two-person musical revue at the Ethel Barrymore Theater.

In 1979, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s musical Evita, based on the life of Eva Perón opened at the Broadway Theatre. Patti LuPone (b. 1949) played the title role and Mandy Patinkin (b. 1952) played the part of Ché Guevara. Thirty-two years later, in 2011, the two stars reunited for a two-person musical revue at the Ethel Barrymore Theater.

Cherry Jones

In 2005, Cherry Jones (b. 1956) starred as Sister Aloysius in Doubt, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a nun who accuses a priest of committing child molestation.

Joan Marcus/Photofest

In 2005, Cherry Jones (b. 1956) starred as Sister Aloysius in Doubt, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a nun who accuses a priest of committing child molestation.

Joan Marcus/Photofest

Times Square Renaissance

Like any great play, the story of Times Square has had twists and turns. The area hit bottom in the 1970s and 80s, when rampant drug dealing and prostitution, and the proliferation of pornography, rendered it menacing to many New Yorkers and tourists alike. Now, after successful efforts by both the city and private enterprise, the area has regained not only its signature visual dazzle but also much of its democratic character, catering to the broadest spectrum of tastes and interests. Never more brilliant than it is today, the Theater District is once again a compelling destination of the best of urban entertainment.

ca. 2000 Theater District, looking south

Though the completion of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel (John Portman, 1985) predated the Theater District’s full recovery, today, the building, wrapped in state-of-the-art illuminated signage, is part of the spectacle of light and movement that is nightly available to all, free of charge.

Courtesy of The New York Marriott Marquis

Though the completion of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel (John Portman, 1985) predated the Theater District’s full recovery, today, the building, wrapped in state-of-the-art illuminated signage, is part of the spectacle of light and movement that is nightly available to all, free of charge.

Courtesy of The New York Marriott Marquis

ca. 2000 42nd Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues

By the dawn of the new millennium, after decades of decline and neglect, the area was thriving once again. In many ways—principally the proliferation of illuminated signs and the presence of a vast array of amusements, from “high” to “low”—today’s Theater District is a return to the spirit of Broadway that emerged in the first three decades of the last century.

Andy Caulfield

By the dawn of the new millennium, after decades of decline and neglect, the area was thriving once again. In many ways—principally the proliferation of illuminated signs and the presence of a vast array of amusements, from “high” to “low”—today’s Theater District is a return to the spirit of Broadway that emerged in the first three decades of the last century.